Core facility template

With support from the APH Impact Booster grant, awarded at the Annual Meeting 2024, APH researcher Hieke Barends and her team have launched the website www.voorbijdeklacht.nl. This website features a visual story that provides accessible insight into persistent somatic symptoms (ALK – Aanhoudende Lichamelijke Klachten). The aim is to share knowledge about ALK more widely and to make the topic open for discussion among a broad audience.

Living with ALK

The PROSPECTS study shows that persistent somatic symptoms often have a fluctuating and long-lasting course, with periods of improvement and relapse. These fluctuations have an important impact on the daily lives of people living with ALK. They struggled to manage these lows. Managing their boundaries was especially challenging: finding a balance between doing neither too much, nor too little. Negative thoughts and ‘maladaptive’ behaviors, such as avoidance behavior, and early-life trauma can hinder progress. Participants highly value an active role from their general practitioner and good collaboration between healthcare providers. Shared decision-making and attention to personal factors are essential in supporting people with ALK.

Website ‘Voorbij de Klacht’

By making this information available on a website, Hieke Barends enables a broad audience to experience, through an accessible visual story, what it means to live with ALK and which factors influence this. In doing so, she facilitates the wider dissemination of scientific knowledge and its application in practice. It may also be valuable for people living with ALK themselves, as the story can offer recognition, support, and practical insights into managing their symptoms. Be sure to visit the website for more information about ALK and the importance of accessible communication on this topic.

Read more on the website www.voorbijdeklacht.nl (in Dutch or English)

Listen to the related podcast in the Huisarts & Wetenschap series (in Dutch)

Visual by Merel Barends